


Boat[dot]jpeg

by seapotato



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Boats, Caretaking, M/M, Nausea, Prompt writing, Sick Fic, Sort Of, by being a rude flirt, flirting while sick, gratuitous gentle touching, make all the ship puns your heart desires, the sea, timelines are for people stronger than me, whence do they boat? wherefore?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:26:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23878381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seapotato/pseuds/seapotato
Summary: “What do you mean you've never been on a boat before? I've been on a boat with you! You were fine!”Arthur was shouting far too loudly for standing a foot away from Merlin. It wasn't fair.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 196





	Boat[dot]jpeg

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rinja](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rinja/gifts).



> Prompt writing for a beautiful generic picture of a boat on a perfect ocean on a perfect day. Remember when we could go outside?

“What do you mean you've never been on a boat before? I've been on a boat with you! You were fine!”

Arthur was shouting far too loudly for standing a foot away from Merlin. It wasn't fair. Arthur could shout at him any other time, any time at all, did he have to right now when Merlin was positive he was going to vomit his organs up?

Merlin shut his eyes tight and leaned half over the railing, hoping if he couldn't see the rocking waves he wouldn't feel them. It only made his nausea worse. He took a deep breath before he glared weakly at Arthur.

“That was a lake. It was slow. We weren't being tossed about like—like the sea! Which is what we are on now!” and that was it, it was too much, he turned back to the railing and threw up nothing but bile and spit.

The horrible thing about being seasick was there was no relief. Poison, spoiled food, a migraine from overusing his magic—they all got better after he gave in and let himself throw up, as much as he hated it. But with seasickness the nausea never abated, it rolled over and through him endlessly.

He heaved a few more times but his stomach was so empty at this point there wasn't anything left. He panted into the sea spray, tasted salt as it stung his face. His stomach and back muscles hurt, his throat was on fire. He felt truly terrible.

“You look terrible,” Arthur said, completely unhelpful. “Can't you just—why don't you go lie down or something. You're bad for morale.”

Merlin would love to go lie down, he really would, except the servants' quarters were below, where the rocking of the ship felt magnified because he only had a hammock which swung with the ship. Laying down made it _worse_. Despite how he hated having to be conscious and standing, the cooler air off the sea did help a little. In moments when he could force down the nausea long enough to eat a bit of biscuit, he actually loved looking at the sea, all shifting greens and blues and grays, and he loved the strange thrum of life from it, so different than the forests and hills his magic had spawned from. He didn't know why the sea hated him so much. Or maybe it was the boat. He certainly hated it back.

He shook his head, no, he rather stay up here, but shaking his head made him extremely dizzy. The vertigo clashed with the motion of the ship and he clenched the wooden railing tight and gritted his teeth.

He heard Arthur sigh noisily, and then he felt Arthur's hand on his back, a steady easy rhythm as Arthur rubbed slow circles between his shoulder blades.

“Only two more days,” he said in his rallying-the-people voice. Merlin made a despairing noise in the back of his throat, which hurt, because everything hurt. Arthur snorted but switched to running his hand up and down Merlin's spine.

Merlin focused on the sweep of Arthur's palm, the pause of it against the curve of his lower back, and nodded miserably. He felt Arthur shift a bit closer, blocking the wind, and he let himself shamelessly slump sideways into Arthur's chest.

“I've seen you get through worse,” Arthur said. It wasn't reassuring given all the bloody and awful things Arthur _hadn't_ seen him get through. “You'll live.”

“I might get sick on you,” Merlin mumbled, unapologetic.

“Then you'll just have to scrub it out yourself later,” Arthur said, entirely unconcerned, still rubbing Merlin's back. Merlin hated him except for how he didn't and besides, right now he depended on Arthur for staying upright.

“Ugh,” Merlin said, fighting back another wave of nausea as another literal wave rolled the ship around. Arthur patted his back then just sort of held him up against him with an arm slung tight around his shoulders, Merlin's side angled against Arthur's chest, his head lolling a bit on Arthur's collarbone until Arthur tucked it under his chin. With the way the ship was moving, being held in one place did seem to help.

“Don't let me tip into the sea,” Merlin said, his eyes closed as the nausea receded the barest amount.

“I won't let you tip into the sea. Who would wash your inevitable throw up out of my shirt?” Arthur's voice was long-suffering, but he gripped Merlin a little tighter.

Merlin let himself drift as Arthur held him steady and the sun dipped lower on the horizon.

**\---**

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all are just too dang nice, from the comments to the bookmarks to the kudos--the merlin fandom is keeping me uplifted this p*nd*m*c season. Thank you to everyone who reads these little prompt pieces <3


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